recipes

With Mother’s Day around the corner, it’s time to celebrate all the wonderful things moms do. A perfect gift is to give mom a break from cooking. Treat Mom to a delicious brunch this Mother’s Day with some of our favorite recipes.

Whole-Grain Waffles with Cherry Sauce

There’s no better way to celebrate Mother’s Day than by making your mom a delicious, healthy brunch. Take advantage of spring fruits and vegetables for a delicious Mother’s Day menu. Enjoy our Whole-Grain Waffles with Cherry Sauce for a sweet breakfast or our Chard & Feta Tart, a satisfying savory dish your mom will love.

1. To prepare cherry sauce: Combine cherries, water, honey, cornstarch, lemon juice and vanilla extract in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens, about 1 minute. Set aside.

2. To prepare waffles: Preheat oven to 200°F; place a large baking sheet on the center rack.

3. Whisk whole-wheat flour (see Measuring Tip), cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Lightly beat eggs and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Add buttermilk, oil and vanilla; whisk until well blended. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring until just combined.

4. Preheat a Belgian-style waffle iron. Lightly coat it with cooking spray. Add enough batter to cover about two-thirds of the surface (about 2/3 cup); distribute evenly with a spatula. Close and cook until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the waffles to the baking sheet to keep warm until ready to serve; do not stack. Repeat with the remaining batter, using more cooking spray as needed. Warm the cherry sauce over medium heat until hot and bubbling; serve with the waffles.

Mediterranean Tuna Antipasto Salad

Packed with protein and fiber, this tuna and bean salad is ready in a flash. For an extra kick, add a pinch of crushed red pepper or cayenne.

Ingredients

1 15- to 19-ounce can beans, such as chickpeas, black-eyed peas or kidney beans, rinsed

4. In small bowl, with mixer on high speed, beat egg whites just until stiff peaks form when beaters are lifted. With rubber spatula, fold beaten whites into batter.

5. In 12-inch nonstick skillet, melt 1 piece of margarine on medium. Drop batter by 1/4 cups into skillet, making 4 to 5 pancakes at a time. Cook 3 to 4 minutes or until the edges are dry and bottoms are browned. Turn pancakes over and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until bottoms are browned. Transfer pancakes to platter; keep warm in oven.

6. Repeat with remaining margarine and batter to make about 16 pancakes in all. Serve pancakes with warm Tomato-Chard Sauce; sprinkle with shredded Romano.

Sunrise Bellini

This slightly tart fruity Bellini recipe will zing you awake. It’s the prettiest color imaginable and it makes a brunch instantly fun! You can serve the Bellinis in champagne flutes or in simple Mason jars—be creative!

1. Puree papaya, pineapple, raspberries, lime zest, mint and ginger in a blender until completely smooth. Add juice and ice and blend until the ice is crushed. If the mixture is too tart for your taste, add 1 tablespoon honey at a time, blending after each addition, until it’s as sweet as you like. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.

2. To serve, stir the Bellini mixture and divide among 8 glasses. Very slowly top each drink with wine. Gently stir, if necessary. (You’ll have about two-thirds of a bottle remaining; top off drinks as desired.)

I am delighted to introduce Keinya of the Busyfams blog, she is our featured guest blogger today. She is sharing a few fun Halloween projects kids can have a blast doing. Enjoy!

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The fun and spooky themes of Halloween don’t all have to happen on that one day. Kids can enjoy fun projects and activities all week-long. Here are 3 practical and really fun, creative ways to get your kids in the “spirit” of Halloween!

1) TRICK or TREAT?

Power up before your night out in the neighborhood with this parent approved healthy beverage that will be just plain spooky fun for the little one. There are fun Halloween cups everywhere this time of year. In a fun cup, make a healthy Goblin Smoothie for your trick-or-treater and better yet, let them help! It’s sure to be a win-win!

For extra sweetness, add in another 1/2 frozen banana or a drizzle of agave syrup.

Directions: Blend until very smooth and creamy – and enjoy!

Note: matcha green tea does contain a small amount of caffeine so if serving this smoothie to kids you can either use a smaller amount of matcha or sub the matcha with a handful of green spinach or 1/2 green avocado for green color.

Take it from Martha Stewart and put those paper grocery bags to good use by using them for a fun creative Halloween project. What trick-or-treater doesn’t need a bag for all those treats? Not only can you pack this handy bag up with treats, but you can enhance your child’s safety in the evening while out as well.

1. Use the scissors to trim 4 inches from the top of the grocery bag. Cut a 50-inch piece of duct tape and lay it down, tacky side up. Cut an additional two 2-inch pieces; set aside for later.

2. Make guide marks with the pencil down the front and back of the bag, 2 inches in from the sides. Make marks on the inside of the bag, as well, 2 inches from each corner.

3. Position the bottom of the bag over one end of the tape; the tape should be 2 inches in from the side. Slowly tip the bag onto the tape, using the marks inside the bag as a guide. Place a 2-inch piece of duct tape on the inside of the bag where the handle begins. Place another 2-inch piece about 9 inches down the tape. Fold this portion of tape in half to create the handle. Use a bone folder to smooth out the bubbles.

4. Carefully flip the bag over. Attach the remaining tape to opposite side using the guide marks. Repeat for the back of the bag.

5. Cut four pieces of reflective tape that are equal to the height of the bag. Center the reflective tape on top of the duct tape. Do this step on the front and back. For extra strength, double bag.

This was a project I actually did with my kids over the summer on more than 1 occasion, but it can be just as effective for Halloween. You can use it to light a pathway in your yard to your front door. This is also a handy kind of light to stick in a carved jack-o-lantern. It looks really cool!

What you’ll need:

You will need:

Jars – I recommend having lids

Glow sticks – this project calls for 3 glow sticks per jar.

Scissors – not your good ones!

Gloves – I recommend gloves if the kids will help with dumping the glow stick juice.

Apron – the kids can make a mess, so best not to have your best clothes on in case you get flicked with the dye.

For extra fun: Decorate the jar with a face and get a jack-o-lantern effect! Kids can paste the eyes, nose, and mouth made of black construction paper to the jar.

Guest Blogger Bio – Keinya L, the voice behind Busyfams is a busy mama of 3, a happily married wife, sibling of many (yep part of a big dysfunctional, but loving family), a student who is extremely close to obtaining that BS degree, and a full time supervisor…trying to juggle a blog in the mix too! Is she crazy?! Yes…just a little, but she wears many hats and has inspiring stories, a sense of humor, random thoughts, and “realness” to offer in the areas of “busyness” and work/life balance. She’s all about staying on top of your game in that sometimes dysfunctional world called family. Find her on Facebook and Twitter.

July 4th is quickly approaching and it’s time to plan the BBQ menu. This is always a great time of year because you come together with family and friends to have a great time.

I am a lover of food, so I love discovering fresh new recipes. In addition to making hamburgers and hot dogs, I have decided to turn it up a notch this year and add a few fun new items to the menu. I googled recipes and here are a few I plan on trying.